Online reputation, or e-reputation, is the reputation of a company, person, product, service or any other element on the Internet and digital platforms.
This online reputation is impacted by the content, the reactions of and interactions with users, activity on the different social media networks
For e-commerce brands, online reputation is very important, as it can affect their online store’s credibility and visibility.
Every business is at risk of receiving negative attention online and businesses today can’t afford to ignore conversations related to their reputation.Reputation management is more important than ever.
The Sprout Social Index found 51% of consumers agree responding to customers on social media makes brands the most memorable.
In this guide, we’ll explain how online reputation management can help you deal with negative attention and how to flip the situation on your side.
Also read: benefits of social media
What is social media reputation management?
Social media reputation management refers to the process of tracking social media networks to shape and maintain a positive perception online. Along with this, it can include reviewing online reviews on channels like Google. Building a social media reputation requires frequent observation because your audience’s perception of your brand can change and develop overtime.
It involves posting content, responding to feedback and using social listening data to uncover how your audience views your brand. Overall, social media reputation management aims to build and create trustworthy, long-standing relationships with your audience.
Why do you need a social media reputation management strategy?
Many businesses keep thinking if you know that you’re doing good business, who cares what other people are saying? But the reality is that it really matters. Reviews and what people tell you about your brand online is an important step in their purchasing process.
And of course , it’s easier to put on blinders and ignore your haters than it is to face your critics head-on but the reality behind this is the importance of managing social media reputation.
These are some trends that customers are relying on lately:
Consumers are increasingly dependent on third-party reviews
It’s not a stretch to say that businesses live and die based on customer feedback.
People rely on reviews when it comes to purchasing decisions. Almost 76% of consumers regularly read online reviews when browsing for local businesses. And 46% of consumers feel that online business reviews are as trustworthy as personal recommendations from friends or family.
These stats show us the power of reputation management. Customers view brands with more positive reviews and recommendations as genuine and credible and also at the same time brands encourage their customers to give them feedback about their products and services not only to develop a better service but also to create a good reputation online.
Also micro influencers are becoming a good source to rely on while trying out a service or product. Nowadays people go on social media such as Tiktok or Instagram to search for product reviews to see if normal customers are happy with the product or if the product delivers what it promises.
Digital word-of-mouth is crucial to growing your audience
Around 68% of consumers say they primarily follow brands on social media to stay informed about new products or services.
Like it or not, people talk. A lot. Your own customers can do some serious marketing campaigns in your favor just by posting a review. Digital word-of-mouth marketing remains powerful because more conversations around your brand on social media represent additional opportunities to win customers and followers.
Customers can can bring you down or lift you up your social media reputation
This is the biggest challenge of social media reputation management. Social media is authentic and unfiltered. That’s why it’s a great place to discover products and customer feedback. People can pretty much say whatever they want, for better or worse.
For business, this presents a challenge. Just as satisfied customers are happy to hype you up, you can’t control your worst critics. But even if the reviews are bad responses to reviews and using feedback to improve your products and services are essential parts of your reputation management.
Also read: how to unlink Facebook and Instagram
A 5-step social media reputation management strategy for your business
Now that you know how much brand reputation management matters, let’s talk about the things you can make to improve your own:
1. Determine where your reputation currently stands
You need to figure out how people feel about your brand right now. Are your customers happy and satisfied? You have to ask yourself where you stand in the mind of your customers.
By tracking your qualitative and quantitative data you can find out where your reputation stands. This includes:
- Social media posts, comments and mentions from customers and competitors.
- Online reviews and star ratings from third-party review pages.
- Mentions from industry blogs or trade publications.
- Feedback gathered from actual customers as emails, customer surveys, contact forms on your website.
The key here is to look at the ratio of positive versus negative comments and doing this weekly or monthly can help you to track your path.
2. Track your company’s mentions
Once you determine where your reputation stands, you need to set up your business to be able to respond to customers in the future as fast as possible to avoid misunderstandings.
This means setting up real-time notifications and listening for the following:
- Comments, tags and mentions of your business
- Hashtag including brand-specific hashtags
- Branded keywords
Having an eye on these elements makes it easier to craft the appropriate best practices to follow when someone has a question, concern or reason to shout you out.
3. Be proactive and positive as you respond to your social mentions
It is important to have a strategy for social customer service. Some key tips for responding to customers include:
- Personalizing each reply rather than just using a generic. Make them feel important.
- Always give yourself the last word by saying “thanks”
- Moving questions or concerns off of social media to avoid unnecessary conflict or back-and-forth especially in public is better to jump on dms and talk easier.
It might sound cheesy, but a positive, proactive attitude goes a long way in social media reputation management.
